Plights
by Shuiro Ecstacy
Summary: We're completely aware of long practices, tough competitions, and the drama behind it all. During the season, what's going on in the mind of a colorguard girl?
1. Plights: Chapter 1

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**  
Me  
Kara  
Sessie  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley 

**A/N:** I was utterly exhilarated when I found "Marching Band" as one of the miscellaneous categories. I'm in colorguard, but I've been marching long enough to know what goes on in band.

* * *

**September 22****nd  
****Denville, Virginia  
George Washington HS // Parking Lot**

* * *

"Come on! Again! Get it together you guys… we rehearsed through this just last Thursday!" 

Ashleigh's voice is strict and firm as fifteen of us turn so that our backs face our instructor. The feature we had been practicing since band camp is atrocious, and neither Ashleigh nor Mrs. Aldredge are too happy about it. I suddenly feel like I'm being watched by both of them, and I start sweating even more than I already am. This, I didn't know was possible, seeing as how we're rehearsing before our first competition in 80-degree heat.

"Brittany, you have to look up more. The ground isn't going anywhere. You need to perform!"

I nod and get set for the feature one more time. _This is a disaster… why can't I get it?_

"Five, six… five six seven eight!"

_Up, shoulder-hip angle, __sauté__ and angle, cone, down, around, behind the head and sauté, switch both hands, forty-five toss. Oh man… how did it look?_

"Gabi!" Mrs. Aldredge's voice speeds from across the parking lot. The fourteen-year-old Asian girl turns and looks with a content expression. "Why do you look different from everyone else? We've gone over this again and again and again and again! Why aren't you getting it?"

Of course, Gabi has no response except a shrug, as usual. Mrs. Aldredge looks like she's about to walk away, but I see her take another look at Gabi, and by the look of the expression that falls over her face, what she's thinking can't be good.

"Do you have gum in your mouth?"

Gabi pauses for a second, then nods. Ashleigh sighs and rubs her forehead, and I see several girls roll their eyes. Mrs. A. immediately blows.

"What are you doing with gum in your mouth? Are you stupid? We don't allow it in school, we don't allow it during class, and we don't allow it during practice! So why do you have gum in your mouth? Go run around this parking lot and get back in your spot! I'm sick of you being so ignorant, Gabi!"

With that, Gabi drops her flag and begins to run. I manage to catch her eyes rolling, just as I've seen them do before time and time again when someone chews her out. I look at whom I basically consider my guard companion, Kara, and mouth, "She just rolled her eyes again!" Kara nods, giving me a look saying, "What else is new?"

Ashleigh begins to clap, and we get set once more.

"Five, six… five six seven eight!"

* * *

**September 22****nd  
****Denville, Virginia  
George Washington HS // In Front of The Gym**

* * *

"Are you _kidding_ me?" 

I gape into my zip-lock bag that I had grabbed to put my makeup in. I thought about bringing my Caboodle, but what was the point of dragging that thing around outside? Julie and June glance over. Julie, who is closer, asks what's wrong.

"All of my makeup melted! Look!" I show her my pencil-pouch-sized container of lipstick, and the insides of it are mixtures of brown and red. Julie's face falls, and I hear June give a sound of sympathy.

"I'll let you borrow some of mine," June says. I nod and sigh. _Keep everything you need off the bus… we won't be getting back on until after awards…_

I reach for my tiny paper cup of water and drink gratefully. It's hot, I'm sweaty, and now I have to wait even longer to do my makeup. I slide over to the sidewalk where Kara and Lizzie are sitting, doing their own makeup. Without a word, I tap Kara's shoulder and show her the bag of melted makeup. She raises an eyebrow.

"Damn. That sucks. I'll let you use some of mine, okay? Just lemme get Lizzie's done."

"June's letting me use hers."

"Oh, okay. You might want to get it done now, though."

I shrug and reach for my foundation. It's hard to melt foundation, but lovely Mother Earth found a way to do so. I groan and lightly brush two fingers in it, then look in my bag for a mirror, only to realize I forgot to bring one.

"Shit… Lizzie, do you have a mirror I can use?"

She nods and hands me a very small mirror. I mutter some type of thanks and use my left hand to hold up the mirror and my right to apply the foundation to my extremely pale skin. Once I see the freckles disappearing, I lower the makeup and look for my eyeliner. It's not exactly melted, but there's a crack in the very middle of the pencil. Sighing, I lift both the mirror and eyeliner to eye-level.

"Okay you guys, let's go get changed! Grab your uniform bags and hurry up!" Ashleigh led a few of the already-standing girls around the corner to the bathrooms. I gather my scattered makeup and drop it all in my bag. Nathan, one of the clarinet players, walks by with his girlfriend, wrinkling his nose.

"You guys are destroying the ozone layer with that mess!" Kara and I give him playfully irritated looks. Nate's cool and all… but he has a strange sense of humor. Most of it, we've come to notice, is directed at the colorguard.

* * *

**September 22nd  
****Denville, Virginia**  
**George Washington HS // Girl's Bathroom**

* * *

Alex, a sax, and I giggle as we're shoved into a crowded bathroom filled with band and guard girls, trying to get changed without falling over into the walls. 

"You guys are so lucky… do you know how hot it is to have our band shirts, overalls, jackets…"

"Yes, Alex. I'm very aware. Do you know how lucky you are to not have to worry about melted makeup?"

Alex sniggered. Apparently, she had already seen it. I roll my eyes and smile as I pull my long, red and black sleeve down my arm. I was still sweating, and it was making it all the harder to get this stupid spandex uniform on. Alex and Katie, a piccolo player, squeal in laughter as I slip on one of my jazz shoes and fall to the ground. I growl and finally pull the edge of my sleeve over my wrist. _Stupid spandex…_

I finish by slipping my black jazz shoes on and pulling my black gloves over my fingers. I grab my hat and uniform bag and slide out the door. I see to my right several guard girls trying to put their hair up. We have toboggans, red and black, that we have to wear with our hair tucked underneath. I look around for my "hair partners", Katherine and June. Neither of them has their hair done yet, and Katherine is trying to put up April's hair hurriedly. Knowing that I'm on my own, I settle myself behind the girls and attempt to pin my curly, thick hair up by myself. Kayla, Nate's girlfriend and a clarinet player, looks over and sees my struggling. Being a previous winterguard member, she walks over.

"Need help?"

I nod and hold up my hand of bobby pins. She picks out one and begins layering my hair on top of my head. When she's done, I note that it's pretty loose. She takes a step back to see how she did.

"Sorry if I didn't do it how you guys are supposed to have it, but you needed to get it done."

I nod in thanks and begin to pull the very tight hat from behind my head to the front. I do this four times before it's facing the right direction. I see Ashleigh dressed in a small black dress, and sigh.

Known to the entire band (and I'm sure the staff as well), I'm bi-sexual, and my "crush" happens to be my twenty-year-old guard instructor. It pains me to know she's five years older than I am, but I remain loyal to my hopes and thoughts. Since my first year in guard I've known Ashleigh; she had been in the World guard, as I had been in eighth grade. The band season after that hadn't gone well. Amber had been our instructor my eighth grade year, but she had gotten married and left Ashleigh to take care of it. Ashleigh and I hadn't gotten along very well that season, only because I had been trying to hide my feelings for her. Eventually, near the end of the season and the beginning of the winterguard season, she found out somehow, though neither of us has ever spoken a word about it to each other. I knew she knew, though. That winterguard season, I began spinning rifle and learning sabre. She helped me several times, and even helped me in other times of need, such as when our winterguard of eight bought dance clothes, and I was the only one that couldn't because of my family's financial issues. I remember Ashleigh pulling me into Mrs. A's office one day and pulling a bag out that had two shirts and tights that I could wear to practice. Even this year for winterguard tryouts (they decided to make them happen before band season was over), she pulled me into an empty room and gave me $25.00 for my tryout fee. I regret not getting the chance to hug her or even thank her, seeing as how her words were simply, "Here, for the tryout fee. I didn't give it to you." And after that, she'd immediately walked back into the gym. I felt the affection through the rushed transfer, though. Our friendship has grown over these two years, and despite my feelings for her and her relationship with one of the band staff members, Chris, this friendship is stronger than whatever "relationship" I dream of having with her.

Afraid of giving her the compliment I wanted to and her taking it the wrong way, I walk past her and lean against a pillar in front of the doors that led outside. It's still very bright out, and it's nearly half an hour before we perform. We still have to get the poles that need to be placed around the perimeter of our performance. Staff members are taking care of the giant window display that will be set in the middle of the field. I hear Ashleigh behind me telling the other girls to line up. The band was already on their way down the road that led to the school's football field.

* * *

**September 22nd  
Denville, Virginia****  
George Washington HS // Behind Bleachers**

* * *

"Music was our first love  
And it will be our last  
We're climbing to our future  
On steps built in the past 

The passion that unites us  
In performing with one heart  
Builds friendships and memories  
That never will depart

Each member is our strength  
When we give it our best shot  
What we give is what we get  
So let's give it all we've got!"

The band gives cheers and supportive words to one another as we ready to walk through the fence that leads to the field. I take a deep breath and let it out, grabbing my two flags, one set of two swing flags, one separate swing flag, rifle, flashlight and black pole, and begin heading to the gate. Melissa's grandmother sees me struggling (the whole guard is tired from the long walk down the road from the parking lot to the field) and helps me with my pole.

I hear the announcer's voice overwhelm the excitement of our audience, and my heart begins to beat faster and faster. This is it… our very first performance. This will give the impression of what Croatan's marching band will be this season.

I quickly set my pole and all of my equipment. As I set my last flag, flashlight in my other hand, I turn to see that I'm one of the last ones getting set, as usual. All of my equipment is all over the field, and it's extremely hard to get it set in a certain amount of time without running. I walk quickly to the window prop in the center of the field, and Ashleigh puts a hand on my arm and lifts it again as we pass each other. I climb through the window and stand up straight, looking over my shoulder to the audience. Beth, our drum major, stands with her back facing the audience.

"Beth Lang, drum major, is your band ready?"

Beth turns, salutes, and faces us once more, arms up and ready.

"Croatan High School, you may take the field for competition!"

My heart skips a beat.

"Five, six… five six…!"

The percussion begins. Deep, bellowing beats flash and die before the next one starts. One of our sound effects, a siren, sends chills down my spine. I wait eight counts and lift my leg over the window, going into an attitude jump and rolling.

* * *

**September 22****nd  
****Denville, Virginia  
George Washington HS // On The Field, Fourth Movement**

* * *

My swing flags go up, down, to the right, around, up again, and harshly down for the last time. Applause rings through the air, and I get the familiar chills I'd been waiting for all summer. I see Beth start to climb down the stand, and I rush to grab all the flags I can, plus my pole. I pant heavily and stumble a little, as I try not to trip over the many silks falling over my arms. Mr. A. sees me falling behind everyone else and walks over. 

"Got everything?"

I nod and say, "I think so." He takes my pole. I thank him quietly and try to catch up to the rest of the band.

We finally reach behind the bleachers again, and I drop my flags and put my hands on my hips, trying to catch my breath. I see Lizzie crying. Poor thing… it's her first year in guard, and she's probably disappointed with herself. I sit on the ground, legs in front of me with my knees pulled up only a little. I trace the guard with my eyes and find Ashleigh. She's talking to Mary, Lizzie's little sister. Mary has only been in the middle school winterguard for a season. She travels to all the band trips, and you can usually find her at practices too, whether it be just watching or working the dr. beat.

I stare at Ashleigh for a moment, and all of my discomfort melts away. The guard looked messy and tired after a long performance. But she looks beautiful. Her eyes meet mine, and I feel myself blush through the heat and sweat that's already taking over my face. A band parent walks up to me and gives me a cup of water, which I drink slowly. Once I regain my stamina (for the most part), I help roll up flags. I'm still extremely tired, so I only roll up a few, seeing as how I'm doing so very slowly.

We walk back to the parking lot, guard with poles. As we get closer, I feel my exhaustion start to disappear. I laugh as Kara and I nearly run into each other with our poles, and laugh even harder as Kalani rolls hers over the side of the road.

We get to the buses, and everyone is excited and talking. How well did we do? Were we supposed to be on the 35 or the 40? Did the music sound like it was supposed to? Did the quads look firm?

I walk to the equipment truck and grab my uniform bag. The girls wait until the guys come out, then we get changed.

It's really dark in the truck, so June asks one of the band parents to open it up a little bit for light. I look into my uniform bag and groan; I have no shorts to put on.

"It's too hot to wear these," I growl as I start to put on my jeans. I look over at Alex, who's putting her jacket on her hanger. "Hey… do you have a pair of shorts I can wear for tonight? I'll wash'm and everything by Monday…"

Alex nods and reaches into her bag.

"Just make sure I get them back, okay?"

I grin and nod in thanks.

* * *

**September 22****nd  
****Denville, Virginia  
George Washington HS // Next To The Bleachers, Awards**

* * *

"In class A1, first in percussion, Croatan High School!" 

I cheer along with Pam and Michael on a hill beside the bleachers. Pam is in percussion, and Michael is a sax. I laugh as Pam acts entirely hyper with Michael. I pick up my Chick-Fil-A sandwich, followed by Sprite. Heaven.

I turn to Pam. "Great job! But you know it was just us and another school. It's not like BOA, you know." Pam sticks her tongue out at me and I laugh.

After all classes, I hear the announcement for colorguard and shush Pam and Michael. We hold our pinkies together, like we do for all awards, and wait to listen.

"In class A1, first in colorguard, Croatan High School!"

I squeal. Pam hugs me and I laugh.

"Why do you get so excited about the other sections, Pam?" She gives me a fake hurt look.

"I'm happy for you guys. Don't hate."

I spit out the Sprite that's in my mouth and laugh. Hard. Michael chuckles, and Pam looks proud of her unintended joke.

Awards are finally over, and I'm looking forward to going home. It's been a very long day. Pam and I walk over to the extremely steep hill that leads up to the road linked to the parking lot. I look at Pam and nod at the hill before us. She grins in understanding, and we run as fast as we can up the hill, laughing as hard as possible. Once we reach the top, we look behind us to see Michael struggling. Laughing even harder, Pam and I help him up. The three of us link arms and start walking to the buses. I look behind me and find Ashleigh and Chris walking behind us. Though it's dark, I smile at her, and she smiles back. I think.

Though my smile doesn't falter, my heart gives way when I see their hands. They're holding them together. I turn back around and nudge Pam. She looks over her shoulder and looks back and me, putting her head on my shoulder in sympathy.

* * *

**September 22nd  
Denville, Virginia  
George Washington HS // On The Bus**

* * *

I sit in a different seat, groaning. On the way here, I had managed to sit near the front, and what's more, I'd managed to sit in a seat right next to Ashleigh. Now, the girls had to sit in the back, and the boys had to sit up front. Staff remained up front. 

I sigh and lean slightly against the huge window next to me. Ashleigh and Chris were sitting together. Earlier, they were leaning on each other. Now, they were sleeping.

Lizzie calls my name from a couple seats back. I lift myself and turn.

"Are you sitting with anyone?" She calls. I shake my head. "Can I sit with you?" I look to her left to see her mom settling someone else and understand instantly. I nod and move my bag to the floor, opening it as I do and reaching for my iPod.

As Lizzie sits down, I lean on the window again. The bus starts to move, and I watch the other bus start to move behind us. I look down and see Cary High School waving goodbye to us. I want to wave back, but what's the point? I'm not in the mood, and it's too dark anyway.

I flick the "hold" button over on my iPod and gently slide my finger on the white circle. I find my favorite song, Every Heart by BoA, and play the Japanese version. As I listen, I look at the black sky and the dazzling stars. Virginia has many open spaces, so no trees or buildings disturb my gaze. I feel tired after a while, so I turn my iPod off. Good thing, too, because I fall asleep.

* * *

**September 23****rd  
****Newport, North Carolina  
Croatan High School // Parking Lot**

* * *

It's three in the morning. 

I look around for my dad and see him walking down the sidewalk to the buses. I walk to him, and without a word to anyone else, I climb in the car and try to stay awake as I go home.

* * *

And so ends the adventure of Croatan High School's first competition for the marching band season of 2007. 

I didn't discover the Marching Band category until a week after this competition, so the two following practices shall be omitted.

However, I plan to "journal" each band/guard-related activity that happens.

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and please pray for me. Our band director and Ashleigh will be telling us who made World Guard very soon. The tryouts had to be split into two dates for those who couldn't make it to the first one, so we won't find out until after these tryouts take place. Ashleigh is going to be on the World Guard, so I hope I finally get the chance to spin with her for a season!


	2. Plights: Chapter 2

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**  
Me  
Kara  
Sessi  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**October 1st  
Newport, North Carolina  
Croatan High School // On The Field, First Period**

* * *

We finish another run of sixteen and eight counts of our rifle work. The flags are spinning behind us in the back of the field. As we start to walk back for another run, Julie turns to Ashleigh who's on the stand in front of us.

"Who made it, do you know yet?"

Ashleigh nods and says, "Yeah, there's four girls."

My face falls and I sigh. More than four girls that tried out were way better than I was. There's no way I made it.

"You, me, Zakeia, and some other girl that tried out the second day."

I twist my lips to the side. It's not that I hadn't expected it. Mrs. A and my dad had both said I probably wasn't going to make it. _Still, though, it would've been so awesome…_

**Flashback**

_Ashleigh and I are driving home from World Guard auditions. Since my parents are both working, Ashleigh offered to give me a ride to and from tryouts. I sigh and look out the window, and I feel Ashleigh's eyes dart to me._

"_You did really good today."_

_I look at her and smile. I want to believe her, but…_

_Apparently there's a little too much doubt in my face, because Ashleigh goes on._

"_You know, you actually did a lot better than I thought you would do. Pretty much everyone there was more experienced or over three years older. I mean, this is only your second winter year of rifle, and you caught on to most of that work really quickly. You even surprised Lenny."_

_I'm shocked to hear this. Lenny, our choreographer, was one of the toughest people to get compliments out of. My mood suddenly brightens a little bit. Ashleigh continues._

"_And even if you don't make World, think about when you're on A Guard. You'll be one of the best… actually the best one out there, along with Katherine and Sessie." _

_I nod. Ashleigh smiles. We're in my driveway now, and I sigh. Ashleigh decides to give a few more words of support._

"_I thought you did great today. You impressed everyone there, and you did above average at the level you're at right now. So just think about how good you'll be no matter what you make, okay?" I nod again and hug Ashleigh. She hugs back._

"_Thank you. You know, for everything."_

_She knows I don't just mean the talk and the rides home, even though they're included. She smiles._

"_No problem."_

**End Flashback**

I scratch my neck and walk to my dot. Sammy and Kara stand in front of me. Jonathan is on the hash. Julie, Katherine and Sessie are in front of him. Ashleigh looks at us.

"Okay, this'll be the last time we do this. Ready? Five, six… five six seven eight!"

* * *

**October 1st  
Newport, North Carolina**

* * *

"Remember you guys, Mrs. Aldredge said no food or drink in the band room during class," Sessie warns the freshmen. Meaning Gabi.

I growl and roll my eyes. I'm sitting on a chair in the opposite direction, my arms on the back of the chair and my chin resting on both arms. I look at Mrs. A's office, waiting for someone to come out. Sure enough…

"I'm about to send someone that has food in their mouth and a wrapper by them to ALC." Ashleigh stands in the doorway and stares at the freshmen. Only Gabi has food, but we know it's a warning to all of them. I mentally stab Gabi. How can she be so rude and ignorant? Is she seriously that stupid? She has her fake look on… the one that's real serious and makes you think she feels guilty and sorry for what she's done. Ashleigh leans forward against the doorway.

"Mrs. Aldredge already talked to you guys about this. There were only two people that weren't here, and neither of them have food. If Mr. Bottoms were to walk in right now, he wouldn't be happy and we would get in trouble. So keep the food away." I hate the expression on her face. It's the kind that you can tell she's exhausted. Not tired-exhausted, but more exasperated. It's the kind that makes me want to kill whoever made that expression appear.

I see Ashleigh look at me for a second or two. I give her an "I'll make sure they don't do it again" look, and she goes back into the office. I sigh and look at Gabi.

She's already laughing again.

* * *

So. I didn't make World. Like I said, it's not that I didn't expect it. It just would've been cool to spin with Ashleigh and all.

By the way.  
If you haven't already been able to tell, I don't really like Gabi. She's honestly my least favorite person on the guard. It's because of her attitude, really. If you could watch her for a single practice, you'd see what I mean. It makes you think, "Why is she here? She obviously doesn't care about guard."

Three reviews. That's actually more than I thought I would get after the first chapter… haha. Thanks for reading!


	3. Plights: Chapter 3

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**  
Me  
Kara  
Sessi  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**October 2nd  
Newport, North Carolina  
Croatan High School // On The Football Field**

* * *

"Okay, now go to page 'O' and find your next spot."

I groan and turn the page of our new drill. I'm twelve in front of the back sideline and on the 35. _I wish this were over with already…_

"Brittany?" I hear Ashleigh's voice, and it's close. I look up from my drill and see her only ten feet away. "Make sure when you stand up and jazz run that you're not slouching. Lift your hips a little more."

I try to, but it's hard. I've always had bad posture, and it's a natural thing for me, so sometimes it even hurts when I pull my shoulders back and lift my hips up. Ashleigh notices my difficulty and walks over, kneeling down to my right. She puts one hand on my right hip and another on my left wrist to hold her there. She helps me figure it out and stands up. I nod in thanks to her and smile, and she smiles back before walking away. I sigh and look around. Lucas stands to my left. He actually plays a trumpet, I think… I've never really noticed him playing. Anyway, he wanted to do guard too, so he comes in at the fourth movement.

"I say we take a lap for all the people talking. Go." I snap out of my thoughts and look up. I hadn't even noticed people on the field talking, but apparently there were. I growl and drop my drill, jogging forward to the front of the field. Most of the band is already going around the first corner, and I join them. I run with everyone around the field, and when we get about to the 50, I hear Ashleigh's voice again.

"Colorguard, if I hear you talking, you're giving me another one!"

I bite my lip. I don't like to run, really. At least not at practice, so I pray no one is talking. When the band and guard finishes, I hear Ashleigh say, "Keep going, colorguard!" I sigh and pick up speed again. Once I finish, I walk quickly to the back of the field and pick up my drill.

"Okay. Since we've wasted time, we only have enough time for one run. Set up at the top of the show, and don't talk." Mr. A's voice bellows from the top of the bleachers. I run to all my equipment and set up my stuff. I get to the beginning and set myself.

* * *

**October 1st  
Newport, North Carolina  
Croatan High School // Next To The Shed**

* * *

"You guys, this is ridiculous. Ashleigh came up to me in the middle of practice and said that she didn't want to yell at you anymore, and that it's my responsibility now. Please don't tell me you don't think that's pathetic." Julie stares at us as we listen. I lower my eyes. The guard is standing outside a shed behind the practice field. The band is already inside. The football field's lights have already gone out, and we stand in the dark as we listen to Julie's lecture. As she's a senior guard captain, we have no choice. But if we did, I'm sure none of us would be here. 

"Just go home and think about it you guys. Think about practice. Think about Ashleigh."

I slowly stand up and grab my rifle. I walk with Kara to the band room. I look around, but I don't see Ashleigh in sight anywhere. Taylor, her younger brother, is sitting to the side. I walk up to him.

"Is your sister still here?"

"Uh huh. She's in the gym."

"Oh. She must be learning work for us then. Never mind." I walk to the storage room to put my rifle away, and look for JC (Jonathan). I find him by the door.

"Ready to go?"

"Yep."

* * *

**October 1st  
Newport, North Carolina  
My House // Computer Room**

* * *

I rub my neck and click "send", and afterwards the X button at the top right of the screen. I'm tired. So tired. And not the sleepy kind of tired, either. The… _exasperated_ kind of tired.

I climb into bed and fall asleep no more than five minutes later.

I'm pretty sure I dreamt about her.

* * *

So yeah. That's practice for Tuesday. I typed this Wednesday.

This should be a busy week. Thursday we have another practice, Friday we have a game, and this weekend is the Seafood Festival, and the band is working at two seperate booths. I'll probably include that too. Not to mention I'm going to be asking someone soon to help me after school. I might include that too.

Just so you know, expect games and competitions to be the longest chapters. Practices aren't really all that exciting, and to be quite honest, I don't really want to go through our entire show until it's done. I think we have one more movement, and we'll be learning that soon enough.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Plights: Chapter 4

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**

Me  
Kara  
Sessie  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**October 4****th  
****Newport, North Carolina**  
**Croatan High School // Football Field

* * *

**

"Haha, Ashleigh. How about I tripped over my swingflag at the end of the show… tragedy on the 50!" Julie laughs as Ashleigh smiles and shakes her head. I walk through the gate with all my equipment in my arms. We had just finished performing at halftime for our school's football game.

I sigh as I walk down the sidewalk in front of the band room. I feel that had been a great performance, but I also feel I could have done better. I just don't know on what.

I enter the band room and set my equipment down. Ashleigh comes in.

"Okay guard, go ahead and start rolling up your stuff… Britt, will you set up the separate piles for equipment?" I nod and quickly roll up three of the same flags and set them together. I put my rifle and Kara's in the same spot. After everything is put up, I start to untie my mask. We have eye masks now. Ashleigh had tied mine tight, too…

"Ashleigh, you tied this really tight." I give a small laugh and use my nails to try and untie the knot. No luck. I walk over to Ashleigh, still trying to untie it.

"Do you think you could…?"

I kneel down and she begins to work on it. I feel her fingers sliding across my neck and shiver. Thankfully, she doesn't notice. Finally, she lifts her hands from my neck and pulls the mask over my head.

"Here, just take it off and try to untie it."

_Duh_.

I blush. I hadn't thought of that. I nod and start to untie it, finally getting it done. Ashleigh holds me back as I stand up.

"Will you count the swingflags and tell me how many there are?"

I nod again and walk to the single swingflags.

After counting, I look up at Ashleigh.

"Eighteen."

She nods and goes to the storage room. I help Sessie put the double swingflags in the bag. I get the left overs that wouldn't fit and the single swingflags. _Damn these are heavy…_

I walk over to the storage room, swingflags in hand, and wait. Ashleigh is reaching to the bar that holds the uniform bags. Sessie is holding the swingflag bag. I nearly drop the swingflags in my hand and give a small gasp. Ashleigh turns and gives an "O" sign with her mouth.

"Sorry about that, Britt." I smile in a "don't worry about it" way and put the swingflags in a bucket. _Wow. I'm really thirsty._

I walk out in the hallway and down the hall to the water fountains. Ashleigh is there already. I walk past her and drink nearly a gallon of water, lifting myself almost at the same time that Ashleigh does. Halfway down the hallway, I clear my throat.

"Hey, Ashleigh… did you see how I did? Performance wise, I mean?"

"Mhmm."

"Did it look good?"

"Mhmm." Ashleigh gives a thumbs up sign without looking back. I nod to myself.

"Good…"

We walk into the band room. I hear JC ask Ashleigh something, and hear her reply, "Yeah, sorry. I had water in my mouth. Oh, Britt! I had water in my mouth, so that's why I didn't really answer you out in the hallway."

I laugh and nod.

"It's okay."

* * *

**October 9th  
Newport, North Carolina  
Croatan High School // Band Room**

* * *

Ashleigh walks into the band room, and I sit down. It's first period, and I really don't like my day so far. Ashleigh walks over and stands next to me. Sammy and Trisha, a girl that's in one movement, are standing either behind or in front of me. The first bell rings and the band members exit the room, so it's just the four of us.

"How fat was I in that picture you added last night?" Ashleigh laughs. I turn to her and smile.

"You mean on facebook? The one of you and me?"

Ashleigh nods. "Yeah. Eight pounds can do a lot to someone my size."

I laugh. "You're not fat, Ashleigh. I wish I was your size."

More colorguard girls enter the room. I see Kara, and her eyes are red. My eyes go to the floor. There could only be one reason. Michael.

One of our fellow classmates, Michael, had just passed away on Sunday, caused by leukemia. He had been diagnosed with it over a year ago, and he had stayed strong through his freshman year. But his passing was a stab for all of us, whether you had ever met him or not.

"Kara, are you okay?" Ashleigh asks her with concern in her voice. I turn to her when Kara doesn't answer.

"Michael just passed away last Sunday… that's probably why…"

Ashleigh makes an "O" shape with her mouth.

"Okay you guys, get all your stuff and head out to the field."

Surprisingly, we were out there pretty quickly. I see Ashleigh pull Kara to the side for a moment. They say something, and then she hugs her. I walk out the door and go to the field.

I stand and wait for Ashleigh and a few others to come out. I soon see them. Ashleigh walks by us; she's on her cell phone. We wait for her to get off, and when she does, she tells us to set all of our equipment. Apparently, we're going to try to clean as much as possible today plus lean new drill.

I set my rifle, flag, single swing flag, and my double swing flags. I then jog over to the beginning set. I look up, and the expression I see on Ashleigh's face doesn't exactly make me happy. On the contrary, it made me angry. She looked like someone had just broken her heart. I wanted to hit whoever had done it.

"One set. Five, six, five six seven eight."

I hold seven counts and start, finishing to the ending twenty-four counts. I'm out of it though. I'm focused on Ashleigh, whose face has become… somewhat sad. I wonder what's wrong and wish I could ask. But I don't dare. Instead, I stand up straight and wait for her to say, "reset". When she does, I turn and walk back quickly. She starts counting off before some people get back, and I immediately know something is wrong. She never does that unless she's distracted or really pissed.

I end the twenty-four counts, and Ashleigh runs us set by set, at least seven times each set. We get to the set right before flags come in, and Mr. A comes out with the new drill for us to learn. She has us do the set one more time, then she tells us to go get the drill.

We set in the last drill spots we learned and wait for instructions.

"Look at the first page."

I've already opened my drill; I only go a few steps ahead. This shouldn't be too hard…

Before I know it, we're close to finishing our drill. It really wasn't hard. Just time consuming. The guard is in a line, twelve from the front sideline. Ashleigh stands to my right, arms crossed and looking at us. Her red eyes and facial expression make me want to cry. Her eyes pass over to my face, and I look away for a couple seconds. I look up, and she's still looking at me. I quickly think of something to say to banish the awkward moment. I lift my head to face her and mouth, "are you okay?" She tries to smile and shakes her head. I feel even worse. I would've liked it so much better if she had said yes, but…

"Okay, we'll stop here for today. Memorize this drill and the work you learned for tonight's rehearsal. Ashleigh, you can dismiss them."

Ashleigh nods and says, "Okay. Go get changed."

* * *

**R.I.P. Michael McKinney. We miss and love you with all our hearts!**


	5. Plights: Chapter 5

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**  
Me  
Kara  
Sessie  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**October 11th  
Newport, North Carolina**  
**Croatan High School // Practice Field

* * *

**

"Brittany, will you tape my swing flag for me?"

"No."

Melissa gives me the _look_. I glare, then sigh.

"Do you have tape?"

"Of course not."

…Ugh.

"Okay, I'll get some from the guard room." I walk to the room and pull out a roll of electrical tape. I grab a silk and a small pole and sit in the middle of the band room. People are still walking around me to go outside to get to the field. I look up after taping one of the ends to see Ashleigh standing in front of me. I hurry to tape the other end and go to the storage room, meeting Melissa on the way. I hand her the swing flag and walk into the room, looking for my rifle. Luckily, it's not one of my days to take equipment out.

"Uh, where's my rifle?" I move all the rifles in the bucket around. Did I misplace it? I didn't let someone borrow it, did I? I pause. No way… someone took my rifle. But everyone is already on the field, so what am I going to do? I turn and walk out. Ashleigh is gone, as are the rest of the guard. I go to Mrs. A's office and walk in the doorway.

"Mrs. Aldredge, I can't find my rifle. I've looked everywhere. Can I use another one that's in the bucket for tonight?"

Mrs. A shook her head. "You need to find it, Brittany. Go tell Lizzie to tell Ashleigh you have my permission to look for it." I turn and find Lizzie walking to the door. I call her name and jog over. She looks at me.

"When you go out there, can you tell Ashleigh that Mrs. A gave me permission to look for my rifle?" Lizzie nods.

"If you can't find it, mine's in there."

"Okay, thanks."

I go back to the storage room and search all over again. I can't find it anywhere. I walk into the band room and look high and low. I look to my left and see Julie. She's holding a rifle, and when she sees me look up, she holds it up. I sigh and groan, "Julieee… You scared the crap outta me. I thought I lost it."

Julie laughs. "We both have white tape on the bolt. See?" She points to where I had to tape my bolt down due to the six I had tossed, resulting in a lost screw. I nod and take my rifle.

"Thanks. We need our white practice flags, right?"

"Yeah."

I nod and take my flag that's already leaning against the wall. I walk outside and see my black pole lying on the ground. I moan. I'd forgotten about those; we had to take them on the field for practice. I pick it up and carry it, and to my delight, it's much easier to carry with just a rifle in your other hand. I walk down the sidewalk to the practice field and stop where the guard is.

Ashleigh has the CD player we use to do our dance and equipment warm up. She plays it, and we do each. The rifles finally get to the rifle warm up, and I panic. I still don't think I have some of this work down. Ashleigh begins to clap, and I get ready. The first part is easy: fifty spins on the right, then fifty more on the left. The next part is harder for beginners, but Ashleigh says I have good hands. And apparently, I do, because I do the part with ease: spin, spin, spin, spin, single, then four more, then five singles in a row with your right hand, then the same thing with the left. The left is **much** harder, but I manage to do some of it. The next part isn't hard. It's just really confusing, especially if it's fast. But Ashleigh goes slowly. Spin and single for right, then go to single for left, then spin so you catch at the neck, third, and right shoulder. Then you do the same thing on the left side, which is even more confusing. I groan and stop; I had already messed up. Next are the behind-the-back tosses. These have become fairly easy for me. I do a spin and release, then quickly turn and catch with my left hand behind my back. I do nine more, and then go to right shoulder. We do ten triples. Not bad, not bad… then we do ten quads. Terrible. I sigh and mentally kick myself. My quads are awful for some reason. I had just been doing them earlier, and they were perfect. Especially since I had done them in the band room and had to make them exceptionally tight. Ashleigh tells the guard to set their equipment, and I can tell she's not in the best of moods, so I do it quickly. Hopefully, all we're doing tonight is reviewing the new work we just learned, along with the drill.

* * *

**October 11th  
Newport, North Carolina**  
**Croatan High School // Practice Field

* * *

**

"Okay you guys, practice has gone really well so far. Colorguard go in the back of the field. Percussion, stay where you are. The rest of the band needs to go to the parking lot. Go."

I walk with the rest of the guard to the back of the field. It's much darker now, and practice really has gone well. The only downside is that is extremely freezing. I shiver again and again as the others and I get in a somewhat block. Ashleigh stands in front of us and tells us to do the new flag work that we learned. I'm in the group that comes in first and does work for two sets of eight counts. We get set for the first eight.

"Five, six… five six seven eight."

I do a sauté on the left, my flag stripped and silk facing down, the pole vertical for two counts. Then I do another sauté on the right, moving my flag down horizontally for another two counts, and turn for four counts, releasing my silk.

I'm absolutely freezing.

We finally finish up practice and head inside. The band sits in the band room and waits to hear from Mrs. A. Everyone is finally inside, so they give us the normal updates and lectures about the competition coming up this weekend. Once they're done, we say our poem, and are dismissed.

* * *

Just so you guys know, these chapters are going to be pretty vague every now and then. I usually don't get a chance to update until a few days after what happens, so it's hard to remember everything. I'm also probably not going to be able to update every single practice and event that happens. That includes first period for guard class, but I will update for all performances. Thanks for reading!


	6. Plights: Chapter 6

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**  
Me  
Kara  
Sessie  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**October 13****th  
****Newport, North Carolina**  
**Croatan High School // Parking Lot

* * *

**

"Hey Erin, do you have tape I can use? I need to tape this last flag before I put them all in the piles over there."

"Um… yeah. Here." Erin tosses a roll of electric tape to me and I catch it (left handed, by the way) and begin to quickly tape my last flag. Our morning rehearsal is finally over. I have to say, that must have been the longest practice ever, and it was an hour and a half long. But the rest of the band is inside, apart from the few that are loading the truck next to the practice field. A few guard members are still outside taping their flags before they're loaded on the truck as well. Kara and Lizzie are done, and I get up and set my flags in the piles where they should be. Kara, Lizzie and I start to head to the band room, but we hear Julie's voice behind us.

"Guard, you need to get back here and help roll up these flags!" She motions to the six or seven that are left on the field from rehearsal. Kara groans.

"But we already did our flags!"

"I don't care! Come help!"

Kara and I exchange aggravated looks and go to the field. June is in front of us, and we look out. Lizzie is already going to the back corner of the field.

"Lizzie! What are you doing?" June gives a confused look. Lizzie yells back.

"I'm getting the flags!"

"If they're not yours, don't worry about them! Whose flag is that anyway?" June turns to us and asks. I look at the flag that's closest to Lizzie.

"Katherine's."

"Katherine, you have to get your flag."

"I am! Let me tape mine first."

Kara and I look at each other again. We both know what the other is thinking. Our favorite job in colorguard: yelling.

There are still several flags left on the field, and we know they can't all belong to the members outside; they would have gotten them already. Kara picks her water cooler and sweatshirt up.

"Come on Brittany. Let's go yell at people." I laugh and nod, walking with her. We reach the band room and go inside. Kara immediately speaks up.

"Colorguard members that haven't gotten their flags off the field, taped, and put in the piles near the truck need to go do it now."

I growl. I'd wanted to do it.

A clarinet laughs.

"'Cause you guys know Kara won't do it."

I laugh too and go sit by Mandy, a trumpet. She and I had become great friends this season. We whisper quietly to each other as we wait for everyone else to come inside. Mrs. A comes in the door and sees us.

"You girls notice that you're the only ones in the room talking, right?"

I look around. She's right… no one else is really talking except a few staff members and band parents who are fixing the food that the band is gong to eat before we load the busses. Mandy and I mumble apologies and stop talking. June sits in front of me. She's listening to something on her iPod, and she's muttering words here and there. Kara, Mandy and I giggle at how ridiculous June looks, bouncing up and down, dancing to whatever she's listening to. Beth looks in our direction and shakes her head. We stop again.

Finally, we eat, and once we're done, we start to get our uniforms and load the busses. They call for sophomores, and Mandy and I get up to get our uniforms. We go into the hallway where the parents are checking them. We then go outside to the truck where the uniforms are being loaded. I walk over to the bus I'm supposed to be on once my uniform is put up and get on. Mandy is on the other bus. I look for Kara, but she's sitting with JC already. I sigh. This always happens. I never have anyone to sit with. I find an empty seat in the front and sit in it. I hate sitting in the back. Besides, I like sitting near the staff. Not to mention, Ashleigh would be sitting here. And since Cedric, a brass instructor, and Chris and Jamie, who are visual instructors, are sitting right in front of me, Ashleigh and Chris would probably be sitting in the seat next to me.

The staff is already on the bus, and I see Ashleigh outside, but she doesn't come on the bus. I figure she's helping someone else with something first. Ashley, JC's little sister and a guard member, comes in front of me.

"Is anyone sitting with you?"

"Nope."

"Can I?"

"Sure. Do you mind sitting on the inside though? I don't like sitting next to the window unless it's at night. Sorry, I'm a little picky about busses…"

Ashley laughs. "It's fine." I smile and move so she can get behind me. Mr. Hodges, a band parent, sits in the seat next to me. I look in confusion at him. Mr. Hodges stands up and starts talking to the band members before we leave. I hear him say something about there not being enough room on the busses, and some parents and staff are driving. _Ashleigh and Chris must be driving, then…_

I sigh and get out my Gameboy. Pokèmon is the best; no matter how retarded it seems to the rest of the band. Ashley has a DVD player. I see her put in the DVD Night At The Museum, and I know I won't be able to concentrate on my game.

I'm right.

About halfway through the first half of the movie, I have my game put away and I notice a battery symbol with a slash through it blinking in the corner. _Damn…_

Of course, the battery dies. Ashley and I look at each other and start to laugh. Figures.

I look up at Chris and Jamie, who are in the seat in front of us. The two of them have been dating for four years. I've always had a small crush on Chris. He's pretty funny. He has a strange yet unique personality, and he's cute. _Only cause he's Asian…_

To the right sits Cedric. Cedric is so hilarious. Say something strange around him, and he gives you the funniest look. He's so proper sometimes, and other times, he's so random. Like now.

Chris and Cedric are hitting each other. Chris has a pen and pencil. Cedric is just using his hand. Jamie is behind them, watching.

I lean into the middle of the aisle and watch. Chris starts bragging about how he had been winning "last time." He sees me watching and starts telling me what happened.

"Last night, I had him on the ground, on the couch… I totally won."

I laugh. Cedric gives Chris a 'are you stupid?' look.

"And that was just at the end. But who was like that all in the middle, hm?"

"Yeah, but I got out of it every single time, too."

They continue to go on and on. Chris ends up taking out his DVD player and begins showing me a show from another band. He teaches me good drill-writing techniques. I'm so fascinated; some of the work I see is brilliant.

I finally hear June's voice from behind me.

"Brittany, Ashley, start doing your makeup!"

* * *

**October 13****th  
****Benson, North Carolina**  
**West Johnston High School // Entering Gate

* * *

**

"One mind, one body, one heart, one show!"

The guard stands in a circle, holding hands, and finishes the saying we've had for years. As we all let go of each other's hands, we run to get our flags. The band is already entering the field.

"Go, go! Catch up to the band and start performing as soon as you get to that gate!" Ashleigh looks at each of us, looks at me for a second or two, and then goes behind the guard. I take a deep breath and enter the field. This is our first show with four full movements. Sure some of the work isn't complete, and there are some moments where there isn't any work at all, but it's great. Let's hope so, at least…

* * *

**October 13****th  
****Benson, North Carolina**  
**West Johnston High School // Football Field

* * *

**

I grab as many flags as I can, tears coming to my eyes.

I'd dropped twice. I dropped once with my rifle, and once with my flag.

As I walk quickly off the field, I review what had gone wrong.

**Flashback**

"_Okay, rifles, let's get in a toss block first, then we'll do the work. Take a few quads on your own and we'll start." Ashleigh turns around so her back is to us so we can practice quickly. I do three quads. Each of them is perfect. Ashleigh turns around again._

"_Ready? Five, six, five six squeeze, hit wait out!"_

_I release. Perfect._

"_Again. Five, six, five six squeeze, hit wait out!"_

_Another perfect one. I take a breath. This is going well so far…_

"_Five, six, five six squeeze, hit wait out!"_

_I catch the strap. I curse to myself and set at right-shoulder. Ashleigh gives me a look and starts to count again._

"_Five, six, five six squeeze, hit wait out!"_

_I drop. Completely this time._

"_Okay, we'll do another one. Brittany, stop dropping."_

_I freeze. Ashleigh hasn't used a tone like that to me since last year in band… the year we hadn't gotten along. I bite my lip and try not to cry as I get set for the rifle work._

**End Flashback**

I sigh and don't bother to hold back tears. The mask over my eyes sort of hides them.

_Well, that would explain the rifle mess-up…_

I think about my flag drop. It was on a hold._ A hold._ The flag had hit my leg, and I'd dropped, and for four counts the rest of the band was still while I had scrambled to pick up my flag.

I hadn't dropped a flag in the longest time. And I dropped today. At a competition. On the field. During a damn hold. _What's wrong with me today?

* * *

_

**October 13th  
Benson, North Carolina  
West Johnston High School // By The Stands**

* * *

"The Grand Champion award goes to… Croatan High School!"

Our school cheers as loud as we're allowed to cheer. We'd gotten first in everything, plus the Grand Champion! We start to get up and meet the staff and Beth on the sidewalk. Everyone is excited and talking like mad. After the excitement dies down a bit, we head for the busses. I look around. I haven't seen Ashleigh since we'd gone to the field to perform. I wonder if she's already in her car with Chris yet…

We load the busses: girls in the back, guys in the front. I sit next to a clarinet and put my legs in the aisle. June is a seat behind me and to the right. Melissa is right behind me. There are a few other girls in the back too. I'm sitting about four seats from the very back of the bus.

For the next hour, the girls in the back have a blast. Some of the things we talk about aren't very appropriate of course, but who cares? We're insanely hyper.

The hyperness dies down after a while, naturally. I face the front and fall asleep soon after.


	7. Plights: Chapter 7

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

Colorguard Members  
Me  
Kara  
Sessie  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**October 20th  
Towson, Maryland  
Towson University // In The Parking Lot**

* * *

"Okay you guys, I know it's windy, but push through, okay?" Ashleigh tries to encourage us. We're in the parking lot, in our uniforms. It's Saturday, and it's probably ten or something minutes before our preliminary performance. The knot in my stomach is insanely tight. I get set again for the first flag feature. We run it three or four more times, then through more work. We finally come to rifles.

"Okay, flags go in the back and work on something. Rifles come up here and get in a block. We'll do twenty, spins on each side, a few quads, then we'll go through your work, okay?"

We get set at right shoulder. Ashleigh counts us off and we spin until we reach twenty, then again on the left. She let's us do a couple quads on our own. I do, and catch them somewhat okay… the aggressiveness could be better.

After more warming up, run-throughs, and stress, Ashleigh finally says, "Okay, we'll be heading over there in a few minutes. Put up most of your things and work on something you really need to."

I immediately grab my rifle. I really want to get those quads. I get set, wait for a couple seconds, then toss, and because it's so windy, it goes back too far and I panic. I catch it, but not the way I should have. I groan and my eyes dart up. Ashleigh is watching me, but when my eyes meet hers, she looks away. I smile, but only for a second. A wave of seriousness washes over me and I get set once more. I toss quad after quad, each one worse than the last. What's worse is that it's hardly windy anymore.

I toss one more quad, and I drop it completely. As I sigh and lean over to pick it up, I hear Ashleigh's voice.

"That's enough, Brittany. No more." I look up to see a serious expression on her face. I nod and go over to my flag bag. _She just doesn't want me to freak out, that's all…_

We finally head to the stadium. My heart is racing. It's sunny and windy; two of the worse conditions for colorguard. When we come to the entrance gate, I look up. The gate is at least twenty feet tall, and it's more like a fence. Metal with an interweaving pattern of diagonal bars. Rather tall bushes are in front of it, so I can't see the side of the stadium where the audience is sitting. I hear the performing band's music, and I hear spontaneous cheers from the audience. Ashleigh calls the guard over, and we stand in a circle, holding hands. I stand next to Ashleigh and hold hers. When everyone is there, Ashleigh begins.

"Okay, let's go ahead and pray, say our thing, and we'll be ready, okay?"

She begins a prayer, and I close my eyes, swallowing and nodding to every word she says. Prelims make me more nervous than anything, and I need all the help I can get. She ends the prayer and looks up, the rest of the guard doing the same. She waits a moment, then talks again.

"You guys are gonna do great, okay? I love all of you, and even if your flag blows five yard lines away from your spot –" We all giggled at this –"I'm still gonna love you. Ready?" She lifts her right arm, and the chain begins. The girls (and Jonathan) raise their arms, hands cupped or fingers linked, and it finally reaches Ashleigh and I. I feel her squeeze my hand reassuringly and comfortingly, and I squeeze back gratefully.

"This is what it's gotta feel like on the field, okay? You can't be one person out there on the field. You have to be one _guard_ out there on the field. Ready?"

A couple people nod, and the guard begins:

"One mind, one body, one heart, one show!"

"Great! Go!"

The band is already ready to go through the gate. The other band is walking off. The guard gets back in line again, and Mrs. A comes through the line, spraying us with the Croatan guard's traditional "Diva Spray".

"You're a diva. You're a diva. You're a diva. You're a diva. You're a divo. You're a diva…" She continues all the way down the line. I giggle at Jonathan, a.k.a. "divo".

We finally pass through the gate.

* * *

**October 20th  
Towson, Maryland  
Towson University // Parking Lot #2 (Where Band Pictures Are Taken)**

* * *

Tears are sliding down my face as I roll up my flags. I finally let them all go, after having about five pictures taken. I couldn't do that to the rest of the band… it would have ruined the pictures. Still, I don't cry as much as I truly want to. I glance up to look for my flags. I see a couple girls look at me in confusion; lucky them. They didn't see it.

I'd fallen. _Backwards_.

There's a part in our show – transition from flag to rifle – where the guard is jazz running backwards, and on a certain count, we move our flag up and around, and we turn and jazz run forward again, the rifles getting their weapons. As I had been running and counting for my turn to lift my flag, I'd stumbled a little. When I went to turn, I had fell completely. Growling at the many band members who had started to whisper "get up!" before I'd even hit the ground, I leapt up and grabbed my weapon. Looking up, I see that the rifles are already close to our hit drill. I groan and do the current work while running to my spot. I stop, sure that I'm right, and then look forward to see I'm an entire yard line off. I give an exasperated sigh and move over quickly, just in time to do the hit.

I roll up one more flag and look for the last one. Someone hands it to me and I quickly roll it up as well. I zip up my bag and put it over my shoulder, realizing I'm the last one to finish packing up my equipment. I notice Ashleigh is walking in front of me as the band heads up the road to the parking lot where the busses are. Ashleigh is walking with Chris again, no surprise there. I sigh and try irritably to keep my flag bag from hitting my heels.

"Brittany, don't you be sad."

I turn my head to look at Ashleigh, who I can see is trying to get me to cheer up. I bite my lip and look forward, trying not to cry. Ashleigh sees this, and keeps going.

"A lot of people messed up. If you haven't noticed, that wasn't exactly the best run we've ever had. Everyone drops, everyone messes up…"

"But I _fell_."

"I know."

I pressed my lips together and stopped talking. Ashleigh wasn't going to give up if I kept going, so I decided to leave it at that.

Still, I can't say I wasn't grateful. It's not like I was the only one crying.

We reach the parking lot and I drop my flag bag. Mrs. A calls the band over and begins talking. I can't hear her, so I look around, trying not to move the rest of my body. I know I can just ask someone else what she was talking about.

I see Chris, the visual staff member, standing next to the other staff members. I stare at him for a moment. Since I see Ashleigh most of the time anyway, my crush for her had not gone, but had been replaced by an admiration. My crush for Chris, however, had died down a bit over the rest of the year since last band season had ended. It built up again though… ever since the first day of band camp for 2007.

Apparently my eyes staying on his face for so long had sent some kind of signal to him, because his eyes darted directly to me. I quickly shift my gaze to Ashleigh, who's talking to Chris. _Her_ Chris, of course.

I decide not to stare for too long, but before I can look away, her eyes meet mine once more. We look at each other for a moment, then I look back at Mrs. A, who seems to be pretty much finished. I ask Taylor, who had been in front of me the whole time, what she had said. I barely hear him over the noise coming from the rest of the band, but I do mention to hear something about changing. _Finally_.

Taylor takes a good look at me.

"You okay?"

I shrug. Kayla, June, Kara, Melissa, and Sessie look over at me.

"I fell."

Taylor nodded.

"I saw you. Are you okay though?" I nod. June smiles at me.

"Brittany, everyone falls at least once a year. You know that. Last year, someone in the band fell. Even in winterguard, people fall. You're not the first."

"Yeah, you're keeping up a Croatan tradition!" Melissa adds. I force an appreciative smile. They had actually managed to cheer me up.

* * *

**October 20th  
Towson, Maryland**  
**Towson University // Stands

* * *

**

"And our tenth band entering Bands of America finals… Croatan High School!" Our band, colorguard, and band parents leap into the air and cheer like crazy before the announcer's voice reached "school". The widest of grins is on my face; they'd done the same thing last year. The randomly named ten bands would be listed, and Croatan would either be gritting their teeth or crossing their fingers. Of course, by the ninth band, you think, "Can't be us… can't be us…" And of course, it is.

The band files out of the stadium and meets back in the parking lot. We go through the whole routine again: dressing, going to the bathrooms, doing hair/makeup, and head to warm up. By now, thankfully, it's not windy, and the sun is completely gone. It is, however, very cold, but I ignore it, thankful that I have no heat, wind, or brightness to worry about. I'd rather freeze than drop.

Oh. Another thing. We're the first to perform in finals. No pressure.

"Okay you guys, I know you're excited, and I'm glad, but we didn't have such a great run before. Let's try to focus, okay?" Ashleigh gets us set to do hits and warm ups. I do _so_ much better this time.

As we're finally packing up our equipment, I look up at Ashleigh, whose arms are held tight together. I guess that she's trying to keep warm. I fight the urge to hug her randomly and decide to say something instead.

"Ashleigh… I'm gonna fall _twice_ this time."

Ashleigh smiles at me. I smile back. I'm _ready_.

* * *

**October 20****th  
****Towson, Maryland**  
**Towson University // Field

* * *

**

I stay in our very last position that we do in the show, getting chills as I hear the shrill cheers and liveliness of the audience.

_I did it._

I'd given one of the best performances of my life.

I watch Beth climb down her ladder and hear the band leaders' signal to go, then rush to grab the nearest equipment. I'm in such a great mood that I do it much quicker than I did before, letting me get to the gate faster. We head to the same parking lot, everyone much happier with the run we'd just done.

* * *

**October 20****th  
****Towson, Maryland  
Towson University // Field – Awards**

* * *

"Eighth place goes to… Croatan High School!"

The guard does the solute, along with the band: we move our flashlights from left to right, knees bent and left arm out to the side. We move for four counts, then turn our left foot in and put our left index finger to our lip, hushing out a "shh…" The band joins in on the last part. I stop paying attention after that.

Eighth… not _incredible_, but not bad, given that we're one of the smallest bands here.

After the rest of the awards were given, I soon find myself back on the bus. Ashleigh is next to me again, as she had done on our way to the competition. It's dark and extremely cold. I shiver constantly, covering myself with my sweatshirt. I'm too stiff from the cold to move enough to put it on. Ashleigh is covered in a blanket. The bus begins to move, and we begin the half-hour drive to the hotel.

I stare out the large bus window, watching orange streetlights zip by, the silhouettes of towering trees against the cerulean sky, and the stars that rest in that sky. In no more than three minutes, I feel Ashleigh's stare digging into my head. I don't look at her immediately. I turn my head so it faces the seat in front of me and move my eyes so I'm looking at her. We look at each other once more for a moment, then she looks away. I smile and look back out the window.

I feel it again.

This time, I don't look at her. I merely keep staring out the window. I soon fall asleep.

When we reach the hotel, I wake up at the sudden brightness from the bus lights being turned on. I instantly look at Ashleigh, who's already beginning to stand up. After waiting for a bit, the band heads inside. Kara had gone home already with her parents, so the only ones in my room are Lizzie, Mary, and Lizzie's mom. The problem is… we can't find Lizzie's mom. Lizzie and I stand and wait for her. Ashleigh looks as us and asks if we're ready to go upstairs. We nod, and she says she'll take us up. We go up the stairs since they're closer, and finally reach the room. We open the door, and Ashleigh comes inside with us for a moment. I look at the bed in the next room and fight the urge to jump on it. Ashleigh sighs and looks around, then looks at Lizzie and I.

"You two will be okay up here by yourselves, right?" It wasn't really a question. She already knew we would be, but we nod anyway. Ashleigh smiles and goes for the door.

"Good night, you two."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

Ashleigh goes out the door, and I could swear she looks at me right before closing it.

* * *

I'll do Sunday's adventures another time. It's late right now, and it's more than a week after this has all happened. I still have to remember what happened at (dun dun dun dunnn!) Six Flags... and I have to recall the events from this past weekend at another competitions. We didn't compete; we performed in exhibition. But I was at Swansboro all day, hosting the band competition. Whoo. Fun.

Until then... thanks for reading!


	8. Plights: Chapter 8

Yes, yes... I haven't been able to update in a while, but I'll explain that after the chapter. For now, just read, okay:)

**

* * *

**

**School:** Croatan High School.  
**Time Spent In Band:** Currently in second year of marching.  
**Time Spent In Guard:** Currently in fourth season of guard.  
**What I Do:** Dance, flag, rifle, and sabre.

**Colorguard Members**  
Me  
Kara  
Sessie  
Julie  
Jonathan  
Katherine  
Lizzie  
Melissa  
June  
April  
Sammy  
Erin  
Gabi  
Kalani  
Ashley

* * *

**December 8th  
Newport, North Carolina  
Croatan High School // Teacher's Parking Lot – In front of the cafeteria**

* * *

"Thanks!"

"Not a problem! You girls have fun!"

Alex and I watch Alex's mom drive away. We walk up the sidewalk to the door leading into the cafeteria. Tonight is the last night. The last general night involving the band as a whole. The upcoming week was the hectic concert week, and winterguard had started as of last Tuesday. But tonight was a much more… _together_ night.

Tonight was the traditional band dance night.

Alex and I walk into the cafeteria. We're a little early; I only see ten or so people setting things up. We walk over to the foosball table, and in no less than ten seconds, we're playing a game of foosball with two other band kids. We win, of course.

I notice Taylor walking around the table towards me. He pulls me to the side.

"I need to tell you something important, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone." He waits, and I nod. He rolls his eyes. "Promise?" He puts out his hand. I roll my eyes in turn and take it.

"I promise. What is it?"

"Chris is gonna propose to Ashleigh tomorrow."

I've always been great at hiding my emotions. No, not when it gets entirely drastic and I absolutely must let out something, but otherwise I'm the master. I give an "Oh…" as if I'm surprised, then sigh as he walks away.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I'd rather it not happen at all, but still. Chris makes Ashleigh happy, even though no one else in the band really likes him. He's not exactly the most polite guy around. Still, her happiness is mine.

I walk over to Mandy, whom I'm always happy to be around, and sit down next to her.

"Look, Dunkin is here."

I look up. Sure enough, the new kid walks in the door. Dunkin is in percussion, and has already gotten the nickname 'Donut'. Take a guess as to why.

I smile. I've had the smallest crush on Dunkin after hanging around him at a party only a week earlier. I've gotten the hint from other girls that he's a bit of a man-whore, but he's never acted like that around me.

I turn to Mandy. "Wanna go stuff our faces?"

She laughs and nods. We get up and head to the table where the food is. Let me tell you, the band knows how to provide nourishment. We fill two small plates with a variety of food, and turn to see that many more band kids have entered the cafeteria. The DJ is done setting everything up, and someone turns off the lights. _Oh God…_

We sit at the table we were sitting at before, and Ben, Erin and Dunkin sit across from us. Dunkin sits directly across from me. I put a deviled egg into my mouth before muttering, "I hate dances…"

Dunkin grins. "Why's that?"

I shrug. "I dunno. I can't dance, much less in front of people I know."

Dunkin nods. "If I'm around people I don't know, I can go crazy. But other than that, it can't happen." I smile and shake my head. Dunkin? The guy who was joking around with me like crazy this morning? I couldn't believe he wasn't one to dance. But then again, I wasn't one to assume.

Two hours go by, and I haven't danced yet. Actually, half an hour of that time I spent in the bathroom, unable to face anyone else because of my red eyes and wet face. Ashleigh… and Chris…

I _hate_ Taylor for ruining my night. I'm no longer in a partying mood. I finally walk out and sit at the same table as before. Before I know it, I'm crying again, mostly because _Teardrops On My Guitar_ starts playing. Mandy sits next to me, and I try to look away. Tough luck.

"Brittany, what's wrong?"

I shake my head. She moves closer and lowers her voice.

"You're not fine. You're crying. What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you… I was… kinda sworn to secrecy."

"And yet you're crying."

I sigh. Mandy doesn't look away. Finally I look around to make sure no one else is in earshot.

"If I tell you, I can't tell you here. No one is supposed to know yet." She nods and pulls me away from the table. We walk to the bathroom and stop behind the very small "hallway" into it. I take a deep breath.

"Okay, well, it's not terrible, it's just upsetting for me. Chris is -" Mandy stops me and looks around me. She rolls her eyes and pulls me down to the other end of the bathroom.

"Taylor is eavesdropping." I growl. No, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but I trust Mandy, and Taylor has no right stopping me. It's not like she's not going to find out anyway, right? I shake my head and sigh.

"Okay, Chris is going to propose to Ashleigh tomorrow."

Mandy's face falls, and I immediately feel her sympathy. I smile a little. She shakes her head.

"I've never liked him. He's just… so rude and annoying… I can't stand him."

I nod as Erin walks into our presence. I sigh.

"You wanna know too, don't you?" She smiles and nods.

"But only because I love you so much, and I saw you crying. What's up?"

I bite my lip. "You guys _cannot_ say a word, okay?" They nod, and Mandy mutters something about still being hungry, and she leaves. I look at Erin.

"Chris is proposing to Ashleigh tomorrow."

She gives the same reaction I did, and after a small chat, we leave the bathroom. I sit at (once again) my same seat, this time with another plate of food. I tend to eat a lot when I get depressed. I'm finally done, and I look up to see Dunkin sitting at the next table over, legs on the wrong side as he watches the dance. I get up and walk over to him, nudging him to get his attention. He looks at me and gives a fake-hurt look.

"Ow… I think you scarred me…"

I smile. _Goofball…_

He smiles back and pokes my side. I squeak in surprise. Not many girls can tickle me for some reason, but guys can do it without sweat. His eyebrows lift, and I curse myself for being ticklish. He grabs my left side with one hand and my stomach with the other, moving his fingers around. It's driving me insane, and I squirm around, trying to grab his hands to get him to stop. He does, at last, and just as Melissa comes over to give him a lap dance. _Lovely…_

I roll my eyes and get up. I walk over to Amanda and Alex, who are dancing to the crazy song that's playing. They have their hands up in front of their faces (out to the sides a little) and their fingers are linked. Their feet are just going up and down, back and forth, doing some crazy ass dance that I've never seen before. They see me walk up and invite me to join. I laugh and tell them I can't dance.

"Oh please," Alex laughs. "It's not even dancing! Just move around and stuff!"

I start to think about it when Bradly walks up. He stands next to me and looks down – he's at least two inches taller than I am.

Bradly. The gorgeous, silent percussionist. Everyone in the damn band has flirted with him, and I don't blame them. He's extremely good looking, I'll admit, and he's really cool. But flirting the way some girls have is just wrong. I've hung out with him on many band trips, and he's an awesome friend.

Bradly holds up his hand like Alex and Amanda are, and I laugh and take it. He links his fingers with mine, and I do the same with Amanda. And we dance. We dance like crazy, not caring who the hell is watching.

The song ends, and Amanda and Alex walk off somewhere else. Bradly stands with his hands in his pockets, and I scratch my neck. Bradly looks at me for a second, then puts a finger on my forehead. I raise an eyebrow and look from his finger to his face. I have a question mark written all over my expression. He just looks back at me, and I grin. I lift my hand and put a finger on his forehead. We stand there for a moment. Before I know it, we're in a competition of who can keep their hand up the longest. Person after person walks by, trying to get one of us to quit. We ignore them, though, and sabotage each other's concentration. He flicks my finger again and again, and I try to bite his. I don't mean it at first, but after I feel a bruise coming on my finger, I growl playfully and nip the tip of his finger. He looks at me like I'm crazy, and I stick my tongue out at him. He jerks his head up and bites down on my finger. I squeal and nearly pull my finger back, but I quickly remember the battle and I glare evilly. _Oh, he will pay…_

The DJ announces a new song coming up, and Bradly gives an exasperated look. I tilt my head.

"Expecting a song?"

"Yes! I wanted him to play Numb by Linkin Park…"

"Oh, I love that song!"

He nods and groans. I smile at him. Bradly was definitely an interesting character. Finally, after another three-minute song and continuous forehead pointing, his song comes on. He pulls his finger down and excitedly goes to dance with his friends. I laugh at him and walk away. Two more songs go by, and before I realize it, the dance is over. People are already leaving, and I realize I need a ride home. I walk around and ask who lives which way and everything, but no one can seem to give me a ride. Finally, I come up to Bradly.

"Hey Bradly, which way do you live? Left or right, going out of the parking lot?"

"I'm not going to my house, I'm spending the night at Nick's house." I groan. He looks at me for a minute and asks, "Do you need a ride?"

I nod, then say, "Well, there is someone that said they'd give me a ride home, but I really don't want to ride home with them." I nod at Andrew, and Bradly laughs.

"Yeah, I can imagine why. Well, I can call Nick and ask him." And he does so.

"Would it be okay if we gave someone else a ride?" He pauses. "Um… I don't exactly know her name." I give him a look of disbelief, and he gives an innocent look.

"I'm sorry! You've never told me your name before!" I blink. He's right… I never did! I start laughing, and Cade walks up. Bradly laughs and asks what my name is.

"Okay, okay, her name is Brittany." I nod, still giggling. He smiles and shakes his head. He finally finishes his conversation and hangs up.

"His mom said she would, but she's been driving around all day and really doesn't want to waste anymore gas." I sigh and nod.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for trying anyway."

As we wait for my first ride to finish cleaning and his ride to get there, we go outside and talk. Not about anything important… we just talk. Nick is standing with us, soon joining our conversations, one of which involving how strange it is for guys to stare at something and daydream about it.

Nick laughs. "Yeah, like I'm staring at Brad right now. I'm thinking about you Brad… whoooo…"

I burst into laughter at Bradly's expression. "Well, I'll stare at Bradly _and_ do this." I put my finger on his forehead, and he laughs, then stops.

"Wow, your hands are cold." I tilt my head and realize that they are. I hadn't even noticed that it was around forty degrees outside. I grin and put the back of my fingers on his cheek. He shivers.

"Oh yeah. They're cold." He puts out one of his hands, and I feel his hand, my eyes widening.

"How are your hands so warm? Ugh, I envy you!" He laughs and bends by fingers so it's in a fist, then covers my hand with his. I grab his other hand and he does the same with that one, laughing at me. I smile. His hands _are_ warm.

We begin to talk about more random things. I find out quite a lot about Bradly. He's very… fascinating. At last, we can leave. Both of our rides are ready to go. We walk down to the parking lot. I grin at Bradly and bounce over to him.

"Gimme a hug before you go!" He smiles and returns the hug I give him. I consider myself rather special; Bradly isn't the type of guy who just gives out hugs. I pull away and walk over to the car Andrew is already in.

"Hey, do you have myspace or facebook or what?" I turn around. Bradly is facing me, awaiting an answer.

"I have both, but I only use myspace to talk to people who don't have facebook. Facebook is awesome. I think myspace is for whores." I smile as he laughs at me once again.

"All right, I'll add you when I can." I nod and wave to him.

"See you!"

"See you."

I climb into the car, and as we're driving to my house, all I can think about is getting on facebook.

* * *

I deeply apologize for not updating for such a long time! I've been exceedingly busy lately. Yes, band season is over, and I certainly can't remember the last few days of band, but maybe I'll continue this into this season of winterguard. Until then, this shall be the last chapter of "Plights". I felt the need to post this because it seemed like a decent closure to the fic.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
